# Ever Wonder?? Flashback to the 40s and 50s ....



## hollywood (Feb 15, 2005)

Ever had a fascination with something? Had your curiosity peaked by something you've seen or found? Been driven to search out information and objects like it was a mission you just had to complete? Become ... well ... obsessed? I have!

I can't remember what really triggered this particular mission. Whether it was smoking some kind of crazy old poo stick at one of the famous herfs; or stubling upon a sealed tin of sticks that were way beyond what I could have expected; I can't be sure. Whatever it was; it hit me like a ton of bricks. It consumed me and became an exciting focus for my OCD. I just had to find more Clear Havanas!!

My search; at first, was simply to find a few old sticks. I scoured the internet and raided the antique malls. I searched yard sales and wondered about at auction after auction. Why? I might get lucky; and find a box or two. And I did that. A small box here; a 5er there; even a piece of memorabilia or two. With that; I was very happy. But what I dreamed about; and even joked about, was to travel back in time to an old cigar shop to bring forth a whole inventory list of everything.

Did I find a miraculous invention that allowed me to break the barrier of time? Had a stumbled upon a wormhole that catapulted me back to an enchanted time of nickel cigars? Not exactly. But I did find the next best thing.

I was lucky enough to find a guy. NO, not that kind of guy! This guy was a liquidator. An estate liquidator to be exact. And what was he liquidating, you ask. The estate of a former store owner from the New York area. Sounds cool. It was beyond that! Turns out the owner kept a private collection of cigars he sold in his store ........ in the 1940s and 1950s!! Was I skeptical? you bet. Even after numerous phone calls and emails of pictures; I was still thinking it was too good to be true. No way they would have been worth having after this long. No wonder they were liquidating them instead of keeping them. Despite my hesitation and concern; I agreed to purchase a small sample of what was there. While waiting for this sample; more and more pictures came through. Just how much did this gentleman keep? This is getting crazy! I'm torn between wanting to purchase everything and saving my money for what had to be more legitimate purchases. Then ...... the sample arrived. Holy crap!! My next conversation consisted of one phrase: "I'll take everything!!!".

Fast forward one month. I've been getting boxes that could have broken many a good mailman. One here; two more there; and another one over there. What have I done!? This cannot be real! I spent hours and hours sorting through and cataloging with pictures. How much is really here!? I seem to have lost count at 5600. I feel like Indiana Jones discovering the Holy Grail. Is the significance the same; not hardly, but the awe and disbelief are.

Now that almost everything is here; I wanted to share it with you. I debated for days about whether or not to post this, but I felt it was too damn cool to keep to myself. What will I do with it all? I don't really know for sure. I'm sure I will keep some for me, but I think there will be quite a bit that I will part ways with. My babies need new pairs of shoes, mommy needs something shiny, and daddy sure would like to be out of debt!! An occasional sale here on CS? Probably. A website? Quite possibly.

Anyway, enough rambling. Ever wonder what a stuffed old cabinet humi looked like back in the 50s? I did!










Clicky.
http://s36.photobucket.com/albums/e10/ashlea30/clear havanas/?action=view&current=d9d26376.pbw


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## The Professor (Jul 20, 2006)

Yup ... I think the only possible response here (if I may quote icehog3) is "f*ck me."

Nice, Dave. Very nice. :tu :tu


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## Don Fernando (Jan 1, 2000)

SCHWIIIIIIIIIIIING !!!!!!!!v:tu


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## rottenzombie (Jun 11, 2007)

WoW.:dr:dr:dr:dr:dr:dr:dr Holy :BS


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## Old Sailor (Jul 27, 2006)

Damnnnnnnn!!!!!!!!!!:tu:tu


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## bazookajoe (Nov 2, 2006)

Very cool. This pic says it all...


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## AriesOpusX (Oct 15, 2007)

Cool story thanks for sharing, thats an amazing collection. You know we'll take care of you here when it comes time to unload some more. :tu


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## scrapiron (Jun 24, 2006)

WOW!


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## adsantos13 (Oct 10, 2006)

Very cool!


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## bobarian (Oct 1, 2007)

monsoon said:


> SCHWIIIIIIIIIIIING !!!!!!!!v:tu


:tpd::tpd::tpd:
Definitely the stuff of dreams!:ss


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## 68TriShield (May 15, 2006)

There are some great tasting cigars in there...just amazing!


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## SmokeyJoe (Oct 3, 2006)

*That is UNBELIEVABLY cool! I find myself drawn to nostalgic things the older I get... what you have there is a bona fide piece of American History from a simpler time.

Congratulations on a truly scintillating find. * :ss


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## Mark THS (Feb 5, 2007)

rottenzombie said:


> WoW.:dr:dr:dr:dr:dr:dr:dr Holy :BS


:tpd: This is the appropriate reaction we should all have


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## Bigwaved (May 20, 2006)

Sweet! Thanks for sharing.


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## Cadillac (Feb 28, 2007)

That is very impressive. Thank you for deciding to share. I guess a good idea would be to notify auction houses, or auction companies of what someone would be looking for, and keep your fingers crossed. You just never know. :tu


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## RPB67 (Mar 26, 2005)

That looks exquisite.

A beautiful site for sure.


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## Twill413 (Jul 19, 2006)

Wouldn't even mind smoking the White Owls I saw in there. That was way too cool Dave. You could probably smoke clear havanas for the rest of your life if you wanted to. I am in awe, and I wonder how many collections like that still exist. Some I am sure, but not many and you stumbled onto something pretty amazing.


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## vstrommark (Oct 25, 2007)

Holy history, Batman! That's a thing of beauty. Mind if I steal a copy of the of the pics to make a background for the computer?


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## dayplanner (Dec 11, 1997)

holy hell...


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## Dgar (Sep 12, 2006)

Very nice collection, thanks for sharing the pics and stories!


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## croatan (Mar 23, 2005)

Awesome find, Dave.


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## sailchaser (Jun 16, 2007)

That's one heck of a story and pics to back it up,Thanks for sharing :tu


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## Harpo (Oct 11, 2007)

Cadillac said:


> That is very impressive. Thank you for deciding to share. I guess a good idea would be to notify auction houses, or auction companies of what someone would be looking for, and keep your fingers crossed. You just never know. :tu


:tpd:

As much as smoking a piece of cigar history would rule, I'd be willing to bet there's some SERIOUS money out there for still-smokeable antique cigars. I mean, just look what bottles of wine from even the 70s and 80s go for... just my :2

:tu


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## Harpo (Oct 11, 2007)

Just had a quick look at Christie's auction house and various boxes of pre-embargo cigars, both partial and full, are selling for between £300-£5000 (~ $600-$10,000).

You *really* should check out what your collection is worth. :ss

Pre-embargo cigars at Christie's


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## No1der (Apr 2, 2007)

Wow, that is one heck of a collection. I'm dying of curiosity to read a review or two of these antique smokes.

Come time, I'd certainly LOVE to buy a small sample from ya.

On second thought, would you like to adopt me? I'm sure my parents will understand. :ss


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## CaddoMoney (Oct 10, 2007)

That story and pics just bring tears to my eyes. AMAZING!!! :dr:dr:dr:dr:dr:dr


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## hollywood (Feb 15, 2005)

Harpo said:


> Just had a quick look at Christie's auction house and various boxes of pre-embargo cigars, both partial and full, are selling for between £300-£5000 (~ $600-$10,000).
> 
> You *really* should check out what your collection is worth. :ss
> 
> Pre-embargo cigars at Christie's


There's always a chance that there is some pretty high values in here. It all depends on the current market conditions. I have been in contact with Christie's and a couple other folks to inquire about a few items. The initial news was good. It seems there is a lot of interest overseas as well as here in the states. Time will tell.


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## Harpo (Oct 11, 2007)

hollywood said:


> There's always a chance that there is some pretty high values in here. It all depends on the current market conditions. I have been in contact with Christie's and a couple other folks to inquire about a few items. The initial news was good. It seems there is a lot of interest overseas as well as here in the states. Time will tell.


Excellent news! Looks like you might have made a life-changing purchase if all goes well. And if not, you've still got some killer smokes! :tu


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## hollywood (Feb 15, 2005)

A couple individual pics for inquiring minds.


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## replicant_argent (May 13, 2006)

A little bird told me something was afoot.... and I had no idea how incredibly cool this was. 


I pictured a box... or 3... or 5 maybe.... There couldn't have been more than that......








The "thunking" sound you heard a few minutes ago was my skull hitting the floor.


I may recover, I may not.


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## ResIpsa (Mar 8, 2006)

Very cool, Hollywood Mike! congrats!


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## icehog3 (Feb 20, 2005)

The Professor said:


> Yup ... I think the only possible response here (if I may quote icehog3) is "f*ck me."


You may use the quote, as I will now.....F*ck Me!!

What a cool and pretty unique collection Dave, I think that is just super bad-ass! :tu


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## DBall (Jun 4, 2007)

Wow, man... very very nice. I've smoked one clear havana and it wasn't that good. I am still holding out hope, though (obviously).

I will certainly help you again when more sales occur... :tu


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## DBall (Jun 4, 2007)

hollywood said:


> A couple individual pics for inquiring minds.


Wow... glass tubed clear havanas?! Holy crap. If you ever feel like selling a couple of those, I'd love to try a couple.

It would be incredible to see how those taste after so long encased in a glass tube. That would definitely keep them good!


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## scoot (May 26, 2007)

I've been searching for one of those vacuum packed tins ever since I saw your last find.


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## Ashcan Bill (Jul 29, 2006)

A lot of those I remember my grandpa smoking. I still have a few of his empty boxes - White Owl, Roi-Tan, Santa Fe.

He was born in 1891, so you've really nailed his time period. Really neat to look at that cabinet humi full of period cigars and know that's what he saw when he went in to pick up his smokes. 

Brought back some pretty good memories. :tu


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## muziq (Mar 14, 2005)

croatan said:


> Awesome find, Dave.


:tpd: Yeah, um, I'm speechless...beautiful! Congrats on that find, Dave!


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## ZYA_LTR (Oct 15, 2007)

I know it's been used before, but i can't help it, it just fits.
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I Just Licked My Screen!
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Twice.....(had to add my own touch)


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## M1903A1 (Jun 7, 2006)

Ashcan Bill said:


> A lot of those I remember my grandpa smoking. I still have a few of his empty boxes - White Owl, Roi-Tan, Santa Fe.
> 
> He was born in 1891, so you've really nailed his time period. Really neat to look at that cabinet humi full of period cigars and know that's what he saw when he went in to pick up his smokes.


Yeah...it would almost be a crime to smoke 'em!!!

(Notice I *did* say "almost"....)


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## Budprince (Mar 29, 2007)

I officially hate you. . .:r. . . aaah, who am I kidding I'm just jealous and want to see your cabinet humi upclose and personal, but since I can't. . . I hate you. Nice find :tu:tu:tu:ss


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## hollywood (Feb 15, 2005)

Budprince said:


> I officially hate you. . .:r. . . aaah, who am I kidding I'm just jealous and want to see your cabinet humi upclose and personal, but since I can't. . . I hate you. Nice find :tu:tu:tu:ss


And the list grows longer yet again!!:r


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## ultramag (Aug 23, 2007)

Wow!!! Quite amazing, glad you decided to make the post and share this with us.


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## hornitosmonster (Sep 5, 2006)

Wow! Wow!

What a collection!! :tu


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## jmcrawf1 (May 2, 2007)

I just pooped a little :r


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## M1903A1 (Jun 7, 2006)

Harpo said:


> Just had a quick look at Christie's auction house and various boxes of pre-embargo cigars, both partial and full, are selling for between £300-£5000 (~ $600-$10,000).


Just took a look. I'm sorry I did! :hn

(Klugs, I take my hat off to you!!!)


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## hollywood (Feb 15, 2005)

Thank you for all the replies and PMs everybody. It is something that is so exciting and yet humbling at the same time. 

Its fun to look at, too!!


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## Mr.Maduro (Aug 2, 2006)

Thanks for sharing!! Congrats on an amazing find!! :tu


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## Twill413 (Jul 19, 2006)

Without a doubt this needs to go in the HOF. I have to keep looking at the pics to reassure myself that this thread really happened.


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## hollywood (Feb 15, 2005)

Twill413 said:


> I have to keep looking at the pics to reassure myself that this thread really happened.


:r:r

Me too!!:ss


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## neoflex (Jan 3, 2006)

Wow, that is a really great find and a great collection. I don't think I could ever bring myself to smoke any of it. 
This thread also peaked my curiousity and I found this. Not sure what you paid but seems you have a bit of an investment there.
http://gotham-cigar-museum.com/havana.aspx


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## Addiction (May 8, 2007)

Congratulations on the great find and thank you for sharing it with us.


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## okierock (Feb 24, 2006)

It's really cool to see that all that obsession and looking payed off. Thanks so much for sharing with CS.... In a way it's like we all got in on this incredible find.

:tu


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## stashu (Aug 12, 2006)

I've got a couple of boxes like those that I got from my Dad years ago...


...only they were filled with screws and rubberbands and stuff!


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## 68TriShield (May 15, 2006)

stashu said:


> I've got a couple of boxes like those that I got from my Dad years ago...
> 
> ...only they were filled with screws and rubberbands and stuff!


Aww Geez Stan...


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## DeadMansHand (Nov 7, 2007)

Oh my. I cant even gather words... Wow.


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## Da Klugs (Jan 8, 2005)

Congrats Dave. Yoiu have fouind a Niche previously unexplored here. Very cool.


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## chippewastud79 (Sep 18, 2007)

neoflex said:


> Wow, that is a really great find and a great collection. I don't think I could ever bring myself to smoke any of it.


:tpd:Unbelievable. Simply Stunning!:tu


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## The Dakotan (Jun 4, 2007)

Congrats on the find. Absolutely amazing!!! 

Shady Dave strikes again!


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## sspolv (Dec 26, 2005)

Ah, hello my good sir! I'd like two $.10 White Owl Invincibles, a $.25 Robert Burns tubos, and throw in a Murial just to be sure. Here's two dollars, keep the change my good man.

Please?

In all seriousness, just wow. This makes me want to surf antique shops (something I never thought I'd ever say).


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## hollywood (Feb 15, 2005)

Somebody requested a couple more pictures, so .........


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## opus (Jun 21, 2005)

Simply beautiful Dave. Congratulations.


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## n3uka (Nov 13, 2006)

Can't believe I missed this thread first time around. 
All I can say is Holy :BS

Congrats on the great find :tu


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## smokeyscotch (Apr 26, 2007)

Wow! That is awesome. You have proved two things here. 
1. Good things come to those who wait.
2. He (God) will give you your heart's desires.

Thanks for sharing. Awesome!


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## smokeyscotch (Apr 26, 2007)

hollywood said:


> A couple individual pics for inquiring minds.


te

Heyyy, my White Owls have a paper wrapper. Somethings no tright here.:r


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## tzaddi (Feb 24, 2007)

What wonderful thing. I am pleased that you have followed your vision and are able to share it with so many. Congratulations on your accomplishment. :ss


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## czartim (May 22, 2005)

Great find! I'd love to find just 2 sticks from 1956.


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## longburn (Mar 28, 2009)

Good God above. You know, I have been a member of this site for a long time and I rarely comment. Not from lack of friendliness but because I rarely have many questions anymore. But I had to say something....but I don't know what to say. Your one very lucky man. If ever you want to part with any of that jewelry let me know please. Or, better yet, adopt me.


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## Fuzzy (Jun 19, 2011)

Thanks for resurrecting a thread that started about five years ago. If you had not, I would not have seen the pictures that brought back childhood memories of my Father and Grandfather hanging around smoking and joking after a weekend fishing trip.


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## roaster (Jun 12, 2011)

This is seriously one of the very, very coolest things I've seen. Yet another reason I love puff.com!

Congratulations on your achievement!


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## abhoe (Feb 29, 2012)

Sounds like you're Naturally Obsessed. In response to OP the answer is yes, every now and then I my let my obsessions consume me.


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## BMack (Dec 8, 2010)

I'm glad this was bumped because that is just spectacular. That would be a dream of mine too. I've always wondered what it would be like in the 1950s, I've always had this feeling in my gut that I was born at the wrong time...because of that I've always been soo interested in the 1920s, 30s, 40s and 50s. 

It's a shame the original post-er hasn't been active in some time because he put together something special.


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## roaster (Jun 12, 2011)

BMack said:


> I'm glad this was bumped because that is just spectacular. That would be a dream of mine too. I've always wondered what it would be like in the 1950s, I've always had this feeling in my gut that I was born at the wrong time...because of that I've always been soo interested in the 1920s, 30s, 40s and 50s.
> 
> It's a shame the original post-er hasn't been active in some time because he put together something special.


I might be getting in over my head here, but I feel like with the way things have gone in the last 50 or 60 years there's been a real decline of quality in almost all things. For example, I seriously doubt 50 years ago that anyone would have settled for Starbucks coffee, whereas now that's what's around you... You have to settle for it or roast your own beans (which is exactly what I do...) When I see old movies with guys puffing on cigars I like to imagine that you could actually get really good quality cigars on street corners... Maybe I'm off base here. Anyway, it's part of the reason I love cigar smoking... Because high quality is still expected. I still love to imagine what a REALLY good cigar would've tasted like 50 or 60 years ago... Alas... :boohoo:


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## cigardan (Jul 23, 2008)

Very cool! Thanks for sharing!


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## BMack (Dec 8, 2010)

roaster said:


> I might be getting in over my head here, but I feel like with the way things have gone in the last 50 or 60 years there's been a real decline of quality in almost all things. For example, I seriously doubt 50 years ago that anyone would have settled for Starbucks coffee, whereas now that's what's around you... You have to settle for it or roast your own beans (which is exactly what I do...) When I see old movies with guys puffing on cigars I like to imagine that you could actually get really good quality cigars on street corners... Maybe I'm off base here. Anyway, it's part of the reason I love cigar smoking... Because high quality is still expected. I still love to imagine what a REALLY good cigar would've tasted like 50 or 60 years ago... Alas... :boohoo:


I agree, I mean look at the products from back then all around from toys to mechanical equipment...it was built to last. It's one of the reasons why I like watching shows like Pawn Stars and American Restoration, everything back then just looks like art. Even the advertising back then was just gorgeous.


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## maxwell62 (Sep 12, 2010)

roaster said:


> I might be getting in over my head here, but I feel like with the way things have gone in the last 50 or 60 years there's been a real decline of quality in almost all things. For example, I seriously doubt 50 years ago that anyone would have settled for Starbucks coffee, whereas now that's what's around you... You have to settle for it or roast your own beans (which is exactly what I do...) When I see old movies with guys puffing on cigars I like to imagine that you could actually get really good quality cigars on street corners... Maybe I'm off base here. Anyway, it's part of the reason I love cigar smoking... Because high quality is still expected. I still love to imagine what a REALLY good cigar would've tasted like 50 or 60 years ago... Alas... :boohoo:


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
They tasted just as you imagine they did.
The girls in their summer dresses looked just fine.
In many ways life was....just nicer.


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## NomoMoMo (Feb 19, 2012)

:bump:


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## Kevin Keith (Jan 24, 2010)

Bump worthy big time! Love the color humidor photo in Hollywood's op!


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## ghe-cl (Apr 9, 2005)

Guys, I grew up in the '50s. Don't let nostalgia get the better of you. Some things were better. A lot of things were not.


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## booyaka (Aug 11, 2010)

thanks for the bump! i would have never seen this! amazing find. its cool to know there are still treasures out there to be found! now if only I could find mine ....


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## Ken Hastings (Jun 28, 2012)

Thanks for sharing. There are some cool old TV ads on youtube that go with those cigars. Muriel and Roi Tan come to mind.


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